Govt doesn’t know what it’s doing

EDITOR, The Tribune.

In a recent interview about the Baha Mar fiasco, business tycoon Phil Ruffin pointed to a lesson – you have to deal with people “who know what the hell they are doing.”

You got that right, Phil.

The problem is, our government doesn’t know what the hell it’s doing.

It didn’t know what the hell it was doing when it dived into the BAMSI fiasco at the taxpayers’ expense.

It didn’t know what the hell it was doing when it squandered our money on Carnival.

It doesn’t know what the hell to do about the crime problem it had all the answers to in the run-up to the general election.

It ignored the research-driven solutions offered by the forensic psychiatrist, Dr Michael Neville, who devoted six months to exploring the crime crisis from a unique perspective.

It prematurely shut down the Budget Debate without the minister responsible for crime addressing the record murder rate. The minister arrogantly refused to talk to the family and friends of crime victims outside Parliament August 6, ignoring their pleas for help!

The government doesn’t know what the hell to do about the failed education system, which is linked to the crime problem.

It doesn’t know what the hell it’s doing on the health front. A public health system in shambles and it’s just slapped VAT on private health insurance, forcing more people into the overwhelmed public health system that’s staggering under the weight of gunshot victims.

The Exuma hospital, completed years ago, still unopened.

The government doesn’t know a thing about national health insurance, but it’s determined to kill us on that front, too.

It doesn’t know what the hell it’s doing with bankrupt, blood sucking Bahamasair, but it’s just saddled the taxpayer with another $100 million debt when it should get the hell out of the airline business and leave it to those who do.

It doesn’t know how the hell to handle a bank - just ask BOB.

And it’s certainly way out of its depth when it comes to trying to broker a deal in the Baha Mar debacle.

Perhaps even more frightening, it doesn’t seem to know what the hell democracy is or the damage it’s done to our already badly tarnished reputation with its shameful threats to non-Bahamian investors and even more shameful outdated racial venom.

It doesn’t know what the hell freedom of speech or transparency is.

What the hell does it know?

ATHENA DAMIANOS

Nassau,

August 8, 2015.

Comments

proudloudandfnm says...

Amateurs rarely do.....

Posted 10 August 2015, 12:19 p.m. Suggest removal

banker says...

I honestly think that Christie is cognitively impaired, and his cabinet likes it just fine that way, because they can do what they please. There is no way that Christie has the intestinal fortitude or wherewithal to rein in Fweddie Mitchell, Mayonnaise Gibson, and Shame Gibson. He is a weakling that is run by the people around him.

Posted 10 August 2015, 1:15 p.m. Suggest removal

sheeprunner12 says...

Perry's high school, college and professional record speaks for itself ...... he has made a career as a politician representing a poor constituency that is just marginally better today than it was 40 years ago ......... do you expect him to be a transformative national leader based on his personal profile??? HAI and HAM have better personal and political records than PGC

Posted 10 August 2015, 1:54 p.m. Suggest removal

ThisIsOurs says...

Don't you find it troubling that two of the most visible men in the country, Christie and Sebas, go around to schools telling impressionable young children how dumb they were in school? That half of our cabinet ministers can't read a string of words, fluently, up to a comma?

Nothing wrong with rebranding yourself, but stop celebrating dumbness. Tell the children how much further you could have gotten and faster you could have gotten there if you had education and your natural ability.

Posted 10 August 2015, 2:53 p.m. Suggest removal

thomas says...

I am also not impressed with the "I come from humble beginnings"...we all, well 99% of us, "come from humble beginnings"

Posted 10 August 2015, 9:29 p.m. Suggest removal

ThisIsOurs says...

They don't know anything Mrs Damianos, everything for them is a teachable moment. Even common sense checking to make sure insurance is in force for a 2 million construction job is a teachable moment.

Posted 10 August 2015, 2:42 p.m. Suggest removal

TigerB says...

I live in Grand Bahama, just prior to being kicked out of office, the FNM purchased a hotel just next to the hospital. the idea was to have this converted into another section of the hospital to allow for more beds. PLP came and sure enough Brave didn't see the need to have more hospital beds, so he allowed the hotel to get run down and then eventully undesirables took it over in the middle of down town. They eventually torn it down, a wasted 2 million dollars. We still stuck with the Rand hospital, a small 4 bed intensive care unit ....Nuff said

Posted 10 August 2015, 4:53 p.m. Suggest removal

birdiestrachan says...

Anthena Damians "what the hell does it Know."? more than you will ever know or want to believe. bitterness has clouded your judgement. and being mean spirited. has taken away all common sense. Perhaps you should be asking . Why put the hospital in Exuma. Next to the fish fry.? with all the loud music. and why did the FNM Government leave the Bahamas treasury empty. With the possibility of our dollar being down graded?

Posted 10 August 2015, 6:47 p.m. Suggest removal

ThisIsOurs says...

FNM left the country broke, what then explains BAMSI and the abysmal management of Carnival. One BAMSI building burned down, have you heard anything from the other thirteen contractors? Their buildings didn't burn and they were paid in full, so they should all be completed to specs by now yes?

Posted 10 August 2015, 7:54 p.m. Suggest removal

sheeprunner12 says...

Bahamar has covered up all of the other PLP blunders ......... once Perry solves Bahamar and comes out looking good, Bahamians will forgive him for all of those other cock-ups ........... that's his gamble right now

Posted 10 August 2015, 8:56 p.m. Suggest removal

ObserverOfChaos says...

hahaha.....Perry...."looking good" by solving Baha Mar....haha....hahaha...seriously.....wake up.....he caused it!

Posted 12 August 2015, 4:43 p.m. Suggest removal

thomas says...

Really? Fish fry or hospital... and fish fry wins...fish fry couldn't be relocated

Posted 10 August 2015, 9:35 p.m. Suggest removal

Emac says...

Why do people even follow up Birdie or Tal???? Responding to them only makes them feel as if they are making valuable contributions to these pages. Further, these two empty barrels are completely delusional about the state of this country and they are entirely blind, for whatever reason, to how the PLP has done a number on the Bahamian people. Remember the biblical verse that says resist the devil and he will flee. So with some luck if we ignore these two devils they may just do magic and disappear.

Posted 10 August 2015, 11 p.m. Suggest removal

Log in to comment